Sunday, May 25, 2008

Lately it seems we haven't been taking advantage of the great outdoors quite as much as we could be, so on Saturday we rented a couple of bikes and a baby trailer from BYU and headed out on a ride to Utah Lake.We had a great time riding along the Provo River Parkway Trail. Even though the trail was paved, flat, and we didn't go very far, we were still exhausted and sore by the time we got back. Seems like lots of classes and a couple of desk jobs have left us pretty out of shape.

Ainslie had a pretty good time. We took a break to let her run around at a cool little park that Janae found the other day, and Ainslie had some fun playing on the swings.After a few minutes at the park, we slipped on down the trail, and Ainslie slipped off to sleep.Apparently the trailer was pretty comfortable because she slept the rest of the way to the lake and most of the way back to BYU. While she was dreaming, we were enjoying some of the scenery on the way to the lake. And Janae made a new friend along the way too.As we rode back up to BYU we were all wishing we could be the one riding in the trailer, but we pushed onward, motivated by the thought of lunch at the Creamery. Mmm, burger and fries. A great way to spend a Saturday . . .

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Tuesday night Josh and his brother Michael went to see one of their favorite bands, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, play at The Kilby Court in Salt Lake. It’s been a while since Josh has been to a rock show, but this concert was totally worth coming out of "retirement" for. He took his camera along and snapped a few pictures:The music was great. Kilby Court is pretty small, but it's a great place for shows like this. SSLYBY have been touring with another Missouri band called Ha Ha Tonka. They've got a pretty cool southern rock sound.But, we wanted to see SSLYBY. While Ha Ha Tonka was wrapping up their set, Michael went to buy a t-shirt, and we got to talk to Phil (from SSLYBY) for a few minutes before they took the stage. We told him that this was Michael's first concert and asked if we could get a picture. He didn't seem to mind . . . During their set, he even dedicated a song "to Michael, because this is his first rock show.” Very cool. Here’s a clip of the song they played for Michael:The band sounded great. Everyone had a lot of fun. After the show was over, we met Will, and talked to Phil again (who wanted to make sure we heard his shout out to Michael).

The guys in the band were all really nice. It was a great show. Lots of fun. Hopefully they'll come back soon . . .

If you're curious about the music, you can listen to Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin here.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mothers Day! We're so grateful for all of the mothers we have in our lives. We love you!*Sorry one of these pictures is a little old, and we couldn't dig one up with Grandma Raven. We need to do better . . .

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Summer is great. There's nothing quite like having the time to sit back and enjoy a brownie without worrying about school or work. Well . . . Janae still has school, and Josh is working some pretty long days. At least Ainslie gets to enjoy a brownie!Fortunately, Janae is only taking one class during the spring term, but even one class makes for some homework. So, Josh and Ainslie headed out for a little adventuring today while Janae got a few things taken care of for class. Up Hobble Creek Canyon the leaves were starting to come out.

A few miles up the canyon there are a couple of beaver families that seem to have taken up residence. Josh was excited to get a few pictures. For Mothers Day our ward is giving out chocolate dipped strawberries to all of the sisters. So, on Friday night we got together with our friend Veva (her husband is in the bishopric with Josh), and we dipped around 150 delicious strawberries. We think the final product looked pretty great. And, everyone was happy to sample a few of the strawberries.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

While it was snowing in Utah (and Josh was working on the write-on), Janae and Ainslie decided to escape to sunny Hilton Head, South Carolina.Hilton Head is a charming island in the heart of the South, where a nautical influence can be felt everywhere you go.

Right outside our doorstep we found a sign warning us not the feed the aligators, and then we quickly discovered exactly to whom it referred.Grandma Jan, Aunt Jana and Janae were proud to have finished off an overflowing bucket of crab legs, lobster, oysters and shrimp (along with the traditional Southern accompaniments of corn on the cob, potatoes, hush puppies and cornbread). Janae took the brunt of the oysters and found them quite enjoyable after figuring out how to crack the shell.

Ainslie didn't try any of the seafood, but she really liked the plums!

The beach was delightful. Ainslie took Grandma and Aunt Jana on a long walk where she chased seagulls and small dogs. Two dolphins swam up very close to where we were.One of Janae's favorite things was riding bikes around the island, past the huge mansions, to this little fishing village and even on the beach. Ainslie liked the bikes, too.We all had to get into the southern charm with our big brimmed hats. Thanks Mom and Jana. We had a great time!